The Sacred World of Futebol : Learning from a Brazilian Secular Liturgy

This article examines the intersections of religiosity, sports, and music by comparing Christian congregational singing in Brazilian Lutheran churches with the futebol singing. Drawing on ethnographic interviews with South Brazilian Lutherans who are also lifelong futebol supporters, I investigate how participants narrate their singing practices in both church and stadium. Engaging Ritual Studies and Performance Studies, and particularly Monique Ingalls’ concept of “participatory performances,” I identify striking similarities between these practices. By bringing Brazilian church and stadium singing into conversation, I argue that liturgical practice can learn from futebol and other secular rituals: recovering spontaneity, embodiment, and communal ownership of music that resists commodification and market logics. Moreover, such practices equip us with a better understanding of contemporary theological, sociological, and ideological frameworks that inform how our communities perceive the world, worship spaces, others, and God.